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Stanbuli, Sydney: the new Turkish restaurant Sydney needed

No more is Turkish just the food of the excessively inebriated. Stanbuli lifts the game in Sydney.

There are two cuisines that I’d rarely, if ever, not be in the mood for. The wondrous spice trails of the subcontinent, namely Indian – a cuisine I also love cooking – and Middle Eastern. Turkish, for instance, is a cuisine under-represented and under the false perception of simply being the late-night lamb sandwich solution of the excessively inebriated.

Our peculiar perceptions often have a funny way of interpreting reality. I find it fascinating that the variants of the kebab have become as Australian as meat pies and mullets and yet Middle Eastern has yet to manifest en masse at the pointier end of the dining spectrum.

Over the last year a string of openings – Pazar Food Collective, Coogee Pavillion, Sefa Kitchen and Yalla Sawa – have pulled the magic carpet from under our feet with the smoky, pickled and fragrant essence. In turn they have provided a safe landing for what is arguably the crowning glory of the cuisine in Sydney to date – Stanbuli.

A slang word for the citizens of Istanbul, Stanbuli is the vision of former Porteno chef Ibrahim Kasif. He has the solid backing of Joe Valore, Elvis Abrahanowicz and Sarah Doyle (Porteno, Bodega, Continental).

Kasif and co have attempted to deliver the look and feel of a traditional Turkish Taverna, but their signature touches are all over it. They’ve kept the cute purple and pink ‘Marie-Louise’ 1950s hair salon façade, but inside it’s all class and stunning finishes.

Downstairs a beautiful marble top bar, blue and white tiled floors and white walls welcome guests to dine on high stools, while upstairs dark brown floorboards, floral blue and white wallpaper, hand-made dark wooden table tops and classic bistro chairs make for a sense of something special. Even the wide staircase and toilets feel luxe.

These venues are all quite different but at the core all embody the very soul of conviviality. They understand why people go to restaurants and their influence will be spoken of for many years to come. I get the feeling that Kasif’s interpretation of Turkish with Stanbuli may leave an indelible mark of similar proportions.

The wine list, procured by Valore, masterfully meanders through the Mediterranean and Middle East with quaffable drops designed to drink while sharing the Mehaynes-style food Kasif learnt from his ancestors.

The menu, broken into the smaller ‘raki mezesi’, slightly larger ‘meze’ and large ‘charcoal’, starts with traditional Istanbul street food classics. Plump, sweet mussels are stuffed with fragrant rice cooked with onions and five spice. Then the street fish sandwich, something you may see served by the riverside, arrives slider-sized in house-made buns with mackerel, lettuce, onion and pickled turnips.

Next, two ‘meze’ salads force us to tear bits of house-baked bread and get our hands dirty. One; the classic ‘Ezme’, a mix of walnuts, tomatoes, chilli and pomegranate vinaigrette. The other – ‘Patlican salatasi’– lets smoky eggplant and cucumber surrender to sumac. Both are hand chopped, so each ingredient is uniformly 2mm-cubed; they’re almost paste-like in consistency – a feature of salads in Turkey. The enjoyment comes from the texture as much as it does the flavour.

Pickled WA octopus make great bedfellows with in-season black-eyed peas. Local sardines, gently cooked over coals, are spectacular when slurped through a velvety tarama (fish roe emulsion).

There are hundreds of Kofte in Turkey, but here Kasif does a Cypriot-style – seen in mainly regional areas – smoked over hot coals. Wrapped in sheep’s caul fat it comprises beef and lamb with onion, parsley and the slightest suggestion of cumin, not an exclamation. If only I had two stomachs.

Quails get the hot coal treatment too – marinated in a paste of peppers, yoghurt, garlic and dried mint. Lamb neck with its crisp crackling exterior and melting meat interior, arrives on bread soaked in tomato and capsicum sauce.

It’s nigh impossible to leave room for dessert, but you’d be a fool not to. The baklava is swoon-worthy. The orange blossom soaked bread begs to swoosh through pistachio clotted cream and semolina cake collapses under a cardamom and peanut crumble. Wow.

Stanbuli is the restaurant Sydney needed. The rich ripples of Middle Eastern run deep through our suburban landscape, but never has Turkish had such a considered, professional and polished delivery on our culinary one.

Yet it’s accessible to all. It’s not trying to be anything more than a place to truly showcase its virtues. It’s noisy, fun and – god damn – it’s delicious. Call friends and family, then set the GPS for Enmore Road. It’ll change your perceptions forever.

Comments

Google reviews

Cigdem Kipel

Stand out delicious food, authentic and beautiful flavours. Good service and well priced for what it is. Also very generous servings with the chef's menu! Will definitely go back! Perfect for a date.

Tony Ridings

a month ago

Regular visitor to this gem and with good reason. Stylish venue, fabulous food and polished floor staff. Something for everyone either in the buzzy downstairs or more relaxed upstairs. Highly recommended.

Peter Papas

2 months ago

We visited Stanbuli on a Friday night. It’s never just about the food. These guys have it right. The staff are outstanding. They are dedicated, knowledgeable and most importantly, they love what they do. The food is genuinely authentic and inspired. Very few restaurants make an impression these days whereby you leave wanting to go back. We certainly will be doing so.

Suzan Kumcuoglu

2 months ago

A hidden gem in Enmore! Amazing food! Highly recommend the banquet menu. We also had the snapper over charcoal and it was the best fish I’ve ever had :) thanks Stanbuli!

Crystal LIU

a month ago

Group of 3. Tried the tasting menu. Wonderful, like the dipping sauce, like the lamb, the Squid and desert. Will come back. You should try their yogurt cocktail.

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